Camping 2017

Warning: The second picture of this post is a wound shot. Scroll past quickly if you're squeamish. 

On August 3 our Little E had his first ER visit for stitches. Poor kiddo. He handled it like a champ though. At last, he has become a proficient bike rider. He was out on a ride with Burke, and took a nasty fall. This tough boy had to ride home after his wipe out so he could get tended to. Only after cleaning it up a bit, did Burke realize that he had a pretty deep "gash." I put gash in apostrophes because when Evan tells the story, that's the word he consistently uses. He needed 4 stitches! I took this photo after Evan returned home from the ER, all cleaned, stitched, and wrapped up. 

After a couple days we were allowed to take off the wrap.

Yikes! Be glad I didn't post the pre-stitches picture.

Three days after stitches, we were camping at Ludington State Park. This is one of, if not the, most popular state park in Michigan, and it's very tricky to get a reservation. Luckily, we got a reservation on only our second attempt. We talked to a neighboring camper who finally got a spot on his eighth try, and had a lot of strategic tips for securing reservations at Ludington. We were going to go rain or shine after all the hype and effort. And though it was a bit chilly [for summer], it only rained on us the first night, and our amazing tent kept of totally dry! 

We took an approximately 7 mile round trip hike through forest and dune.

Our trail is through these dune ponds.

So we just had to wade through the ponds.

Our destination was the lighthouse!

At the lighthouse, we had a beautiful view of Lake Michigan.

I spy two boys in the dune grass at the base of the lighthouse.

We were pretty tired, but we had to hike back. Evan, nursing his knee wound, and being a relatively little guy had diminishing stamina. He ended up way up there on Burke's shoulders for part of the hike back. We took a different, less rugged trail for part of the hike back to our campsite. 

We took a forest trail to cut across the park and head more directly to our site. Once Evan found this excellent walking stick, he was able to finish strong.

Later we checked out the beach part of Ludington State Park. It was a little cold to swim, and Evan was not allowed to submerge his knee [read: no swimming] while stitched. There was an interesting lake related museum near the beach that we all enjoyed.

We really liked Ludington State Park, and now understand why it's so popular. Serious RV campers set up shop there in a major way. They are there to stay and play. The park is sprawling, so if we go back we have to take bikes in order to get more bang for our buck. Also, there's a nice river to float/kayak/canoe, and we'd like to check that out on a return visit.

Evan got his stitches out on August 17. It healed really well. Two days after stitches removal, we went camping again. This time he was allowed to submerge/swim. Yay!

We went to Holland State Park this time, and camped with friends for the first time. We all enjoyed and appreciated that Burke's friend Josh was able to join us, along with his wife, Jen, and their son, Calvin.

Avid reader anywhere 

We took a shorter, less rigorous [than in Ludington], but also enjoyable hike. The boys couldn't resist this tree with branches seemingly cut to climb.

Mt. Pisgah dune boardwalk

Beach and ice cream time!

buried in the sand selfie

The crew making s'mores.

Lake Macatawa feeds into Lake Michigan, and is also accessible within Holland State Park.

The boys really like our mini car camping adventures. Burke impressively makes it all go smoothly. It's just really special time. We are so blessed to have easy access to beautiful Lake Michigan. Great way to sort of conclude summer adventures. On Monday, August 21, we came home from camping...

...and watched the awesome rare total solar eclipse!

Family Fun

A couple weeks ago, we were all able to gather at my Mom & Dad's new house for the first time! It was a momentous occasion, and nice to have the rest of family in town for some quality time. The house renovation is almost completed. It's been a long, tiring process.

I took everyone to my new classroom. 

Here's Emily learning geography.

We went to Curious Kids' Museum. It had a been a long while since the boys and I visited. I thought Caleb and Emily were the right ages for it. Plus, Evan had been asking to go again. They've spruced it up a bit and reorganized. I was pleasantly surprised. Everyone had a fun time! 

Caleb and Emily both enjoyed the water pump.

Evan built a snail on the giant lite-brite.

He also attempted this puzzle, and was getting pretty close. I was of no help, as I'm not particularly spatially minded. Burke would have been able to do it, but he wasn't with us. We'll have to visit again, and try when Burke is with.

In the ambulance exploration area, Evan put on a walking cast/boot, and tried out crutches.

Ryan, grimacing in pain, pretends with the crutches too.

Emily looking adorable in the ambulance.

Ryan with his creation! Wow!

Cousins 2017

Also, we were able to make a spontaneous trip to Chicago last weekend to visit with Burke's cousin Tim and his family who were in Chicago for a family vacation. We met for dinner at this cool spy-themed interactive restaurant called SafeHouse. 

Tim's wife ordered a humungous dessert to celebrate Tim's recent birthday!

Second Cousins 2017

We love our family, near and far!

MLB Stadium Trip

Growing up, it was a tradition in my family to see MLB stadiums in the different cities as we road-tripped every summer. My brothers have evolved this tradition into going to actual games in the different cities. They keep track of where they've been, where the need to go, and compare notes on the different stadium experiences. As a birthday present to my brother Steve, I offered to help plan a ballpark trip for him, and BBRE tagged along. 

First we headed to Pittsburgh. What a cool city - really walkable and pretty! 

We took the train downtown.

The water steps were a fun place to cool off before the game. I took this picture before Evan fell and was soaked. Luckily, he dried off quickly since it was pretty hot.

PNC Park: home of the Pittsburgh Pirates

Uncle Steve was giving baseball tutorials during the game.

We had pretty good seats, especially once we were in the shade after a few innings.

The Pirates beat the Milwaukee Brewers.

Roberto Clemente statue at the foot of the bridge bearing his name. For those of you who may not know, he is a Hall of Fame Pirate. He had an impressive 18 year career with the Pirates before dying in a plane crash at the age of 38.

Love locks on the bridge

After the game, we walked to Market Square. 

They had these oversized games that the boys liked.

After dinner I felt compelled to visit the fountain at Points State Park in Pittsburgh. This is the spot where the Allegheny, Ohio, and Susquehanna Rivers converge. Ongoing, I was dealing with Ryan pouting because I wouldn't let him sit on the edge and dangle his legs in the river.  Soon a couple of twenty-something girls come and sit on the edge, dangling their legs. And just like that, one of them FELL IN. I heard her call out to her friend, and when I turned around, I could only see her hands holding on to the edge. The rest of her was out of sight, in the river. Her friend couldn't lift her out. I was afraid if I pulled her, I'd topple into the river myself. So, Burke came over and easily lifted her out. And that's the story of how Burke saved a life. I turned to Ryan and said, "That's why I don't want you to sit there." He sullenly answers, "I still don't understand." Oy!

A distorted view of the rivers. You can see how easy it would be to fall in. Geesh!

The next day, we drove to Cleveland. We stopped at the A Christmas Story house. A Christmas Story is a 1983 cult classic movie. Burke said I was "giddy" in the gift shop. My brothers and I all watch it at least once when it runs 24 hours straight on Christmas Eve/Day. I love this movie. So many great moments, like this one - when little brother Randy hides under the sink because he's scared that "Daddy's gonna kill Ralphie" for getting in a fight.

The leg lamp - it's a "major award"

The movies basically revolved around Ralph's quest to get an "official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle" for Christmas. Evan is holding the bowling ball given to The Old Man.

Evan using the "Little Orphan Annie decoder pin" to decipher the message, just as Ralphie does.

Life Boy soap - Ralphie's punishment for saying a curse word. Hopefully, he doesn't get "soap poisoning."

(No, this was not sanitary. I know it's gross.)

Reenacting the "pink nightmare" moment

In the movie, Ralphie is NOT happy to try on the homemade bunny suit he received as a gift from Aunt Clara.

Family shot in the recreated A Christmas Story living room

This house here in Cleveland is the actual house used in filming - the exterior shots and most of the interior shots. Man, I love that movie so much. What a fun time! Glad Steve suggested it, for sure.

Later, after dinner, we stopped by a not-to-miss ice cream factory in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland - Mitchell's Homemade Ice Cream. So delicious! And we were all mesmerized watching the workers blend ingredients and pack cartons.

The following day we went to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which was crowded and interesting. We had a nice dinner on East 4th Street, which was hopping. Then we visited Progressive Field to see the Cleveland Indians play the Toronto Blue Jays. I'll tell you, there were an impressive amount of Canadians in that ball park. That game was a lot of fun, from a spectator standpoint.

The game itself was less exciting, as it was a good pitching match up. The game was tied 1-1 after 9 innings. It was getting late and I was not thrilled with extra innings, and it was starting to rain. Toronto didn't score in the top of the 10th. But in a dramatic finish, Lindor hit a walk off home run to end the game, and win it for the Indians.

Here are the boys outside the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In its entirety, the red words spell "LONG LIVE ROCK," but Burke noticed the giant red E and R right next to each other, so how could we not isolate letters?

Thus concludes our 2017 summer road trip. Glad we were able to help Steve check two more stadiums off his list.

We have also enjoyed relaxing at home, participating in the library's summer reading program, visiting with family/friends, and spending time outside this summer. It's been mild weather - not too hot/humid, not a lot of rain. I'm feeling thankful for it all. The second half of summer will be filled with a couple camping trips, prepping for the new school year, birthdays, and more.